Schiavo d'amore

One of the best films I have yet seen. (Then again it helps if you have lived a life in strong coincidence with the lives portrayed; and not merely a commentator, a mere critic of film)

This film was my first introduction to Ms. Novak, and yes I admit I was, am, smitten. Ms. Novak brings great depth to her role, a woman seemingly comprised of true grit, this only serving to hide her truths, truth which she never admits to herself.

Love will always be an ever-spring subject, and morality tales their best method to ambitiously telling the nature of human pain and suffering, of which there is much of in this film. The tale of a woman always lost, a woman whose redemption lies solely with the only man that would ever truly Love her.

Love can be a grand thing, though so often, Love disposes of people with nary a backwards glance.

I've not seen a version with Eleanor Parker in the lead made in the Forties, but the version in 1934 with Bette Davis and Leslie Howard set an impossible standard that sad to say Kim Novak fell short of as the acid tongued amoral Mildred Rogers in Of Human Bondage.

W. Somerset Maugham's classic of a scheming woman of the low classes is one of the great works of literature in the past 150 years, The role takes a great actress to perform it. Kim was quite a bit out of her depth as compared to Davis and Parker.

Lawrence Harvey is the club footed and socially unskilled Philip Carey, a medical student who becomes completely infatuated with a woman of the lower classes whom he first meets when she waits on he and his medical school peers in a restaurant. Harvey who in real life was quite the lady killer really took a part so totally opposite his nature. The role he got an Oscar nomination for, Joe Lampton in Room At The Top was far closer to the real Harvey. Still he does pull it off.

There are a lot of similarities to the other Maugham classic Rain, in fact Of Human Bondage is almost a looking glass version. Both concern very moral and straight forward men degrading themselves over a woman of easy to non-existent virtue. The difference is that in Rain the protagonist Reverend Davidson does destroy himself and Carey pulls himself back from the abyss.

A couple of other performances of note are Robert Morley in a serious part as Harvey's medical professor and Roger Livesey as a patient who has a daughter who's a nice girl who takes an interest in Harvey. But for the moment he's enthralled with Novak.

Kim has the beauty for the role, but there is really only one Bette Davis.

Not-bad third version of W. Somerset Maugham's depressing story about a sluttish waitress in London and the sensitive future doctor who becomes obsessed with her. Ravaged by critics upon its release (and thought bannable for a time for Kim Novak's suggestive scenes), this remake isn't a classic, nor does it improve on the Bette Davis version, but it does have something. Novak is just fine; Laurence Harvey also good as the smitten medico. The biggest problem is the screenplay's faithfulness to Maugham's plot, which by 1964 standards was pretty creaky. Why couldn't they have updated it just a bit? For all the talk about this version being "too shocking", the movie disappoints by not shocking at all, by playing it too safe. A soap opera, to be sure, though a handsome and interesting one. Novak-diehards will love the film, and her. **1/2 from ****

As others have likewise commented, it is unfortunate this version will inevitably be compared to the 1934 film, but I think it stands up very well on its own. I'm not a great fan of either Novak or Harvey and I was astonished at their performances. Novak was surprisingly good, with a fresh interpretation of Mildred the slut. She captured her kind side unlike Bette Davis who seemed all bad, all of the time. Harvey also surprised me with his take on the sensitive Philip. There is one scene that is etched in my mind: after sex Mildred has just told Philip that she is getting married and as Philip pulls away the camera focuses on Mildred's profile on the pillow. Her eyes capture her essence better than any other scene. She is simultaneously calculating, bitchy and concerned. Watch for it, it's worth a second look.

Kim Novak after leaving her long term contract at Columbia made "Boys Night Out" at MGM and then this fine version of the great classic novel. MGM filmed "Of Human Bondage" on location in Ireland first billed over British star Laurence Harvey assigning Henry Hathaway,a very well known but gruff, 'shoot em up' Western Director, to helm this film. Hathaway and Novak clashed from the beginning of the filming and Kim Novak walked off the film. MGM had to decide who was more important and soon Kim Novaki was back on the film but a new director assigned. This film had a lot of bad press during the filming due to the Novak-Hathaway feud, but seen today it is a very fine film with Kim Novak superb in the role of Mildred that made Bette Davis a superstar worldwide. In fact I feel Kim Novak is better in this role than Bette Davis was, less shrill, and Ms.Novak is particularly moving in the End of the film. Kim Novak was always regarded as a big box office star, but her work in review demands a more intelligent appraisal of her varied work from "Picnic" thru "Vertigo" to "Middle Of the Night," "Strangers When We Meet" this film and another film bashed when it debuted "Kiss Me Stupid". Walter Matthau before he died gave an Interview where he stated he learned more from Kim Novak than any other person in Hollywood on screen acting.